Urban Expansion: On the Ground in Ethiopia

The Urban Expansion initiative is currently working with rapidly growing cities in Ethiopia, helping central and local government officials as they make plans for inevitable urban expansion.

Through Ethiopia's Ministry of Urban Development & Construction, the Urban Expansion initiative is collaborating with officials from four rapidly growing cities — Mekelle, Bahir Dar, Adama, and Hawassa. Together, we are working to:

Make realistic projections of growth in population and land cover

Define an arterial grid of roads and public spaces in the area of urban expansion

Secure the land that will provide parks and open spaces and carry key infrastructure and transit in the future city.

By taking these straight-forward and inexpensive steps today, the four municipalities are laying the foundation for future cities that are more affordable and inclusive.

The video above captures the on-the-ground efforts in Ethiopia, highlighting testimonies from Minister H.E. Mekuria Haile, Land Management Bureau Chief Israel Tesfaye, and select members of our NYU-based team as they plan ahead for urban expansion. For additional information, please find the first interim report on the Urban Expansion initiative in Ethiopia here.